70 Alliotts staff evacuated as Holborn fire continues

70 Alliotts staff evacuated as Holborn fire continues

Holborn office of Alliotts evacuated as firefighters continue to battle the central London fire

STAFF AT Holborn-based firm Alliotts were evacuated yesterday – and continue to be shut out from their office – as a fire continues to be fought in central London

The firm, which is also based in Guildford, houses up to 70 staff in its London base.

They were evacuated at 1330 on Thursday after the discovery of what is believed to be an underground electrical fire on Kingsway, Holborn. Many organisations were cleared out for fears of smoke toxicity. Some 24 hours on, firefighters are still at the scene.

Alliotts has been working to keep any client disruption to a minimum, with staff working remotely or heading to its Guildford office.

“For situations like this we have a business continuity plan in place to keep disruption to a minimum,” chairman Ian Gibbon said in a statement on its website.

“The co-operation of our staff has been fantastic and thank you to our clients for their understanding and patience. We will endeavour to keep any disruption to an absolute minimum and we will keep you updated on this ever-changing situation.”

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Dany Cotton told the BBC: “This is a technically difficult and unusual incident to tackle as it is underground.”

*Update 08/04*

Alliotts regained access to its Holborn office on 7 April.

“We now have access to our London office and there appears to be minimal ongoing problems,” the firm stated on its website.

“As such we are now back up and running in London and should be able to deal with all enquiries as normal. Thank you for your understanding during this very unusual event.”

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource